West Market Diner (site of)

About this listing

A rare and classic diner car restaurant, now closed

Place Details

Place Matters Profile

Nominations

Two cars comprise the West Market Diner. The "diner-a-day" company of P.J. Tierney & Sons constructed the rear "kitchen" car, on the lot since 1921. The front car came in 1948. Public diner car restaurants are rare in Manhattan. Despite the faux-brick siding (which is removable), the diner's metallic interior evokes the memory of local meat-packing, dairy, and brewery industries that once supplied the predominant clientele, which was still neighborhood based until the diner's closure in 2003.

The diner closed in 2003. The property was bought by Columbia University, which is planning to expand its campus into the area around the site.